We have a small development team and we are looking to improve our routine major donor renewal process. Of course every donor renews at a different time of year, so that is the real challenge here. Currently our team uses a lot of Excel for this and we want to switch to using Tessitura more for this process.
I am curious if people recommend either plans or memberships for tracking major donor renewals . It seems like there are pros to using each. We want to use the method that is the easiest, most efficient, and makes the most sense for our small development team.
Ideas, thoughts, etc?
--Joe
Hi Joe,
We ask our major donors to give an increase of 10% each year, and our donor memberships are ranges ($250-$499 for example), so not only do we have rolling expirations, but also highly customized amounts. To that end we’ve found that combining Memberships AND Plans has been most effective. It was a learning curve for sure, but it allows me to handle the outgoing side of 700+ donor renewals mostly by myself.
Best,
Amy Britt
Development Associate, Annual Fund
Walker Art Center
612.375.5838